General Education Diploma now in electronic form

Trinity Valley Community College said it has seen positive feedback about its transition from administering the paper-based to the electronic version of the General Education Diploma (GED) high school equivalency test.

The school began administering the computer-based version of the test in July at its testing center in Athens, director of the center, Gail St. Clair said.

TVCC received a 98.8 percent satisfaction rating for tests administered under the new system over the final six months of 2013.

“Testing is already stressful enough,” St. Clair said. “We always work really hard to make it a more user-friendly experience. We still have to maintain rules and regulations, but we like the process to be as stress-free as possible.”

By using the computer-based test, takers are able to get their results within 24 to 48 hours of taking the exam. It took two to three weeks to get back results on the paper exam.

As part of the changes, test-takers are now also able to register to take the test online or over the phone, instead of having to drive to the testing center to register in person.

“In the past, many of our examinees traveled 30 to 60 minutes or more to register and then returned a week later to take the exam. I believe the examinees like the convenience of the 800-number or website rather than having to come to the testing center to register,” St. Clair said.

Test-takers may now also pay for one section of the test at a time, instead of all at once, Teresa Guillory, a testing specialist at the testing center, said.

TVCC has seen a jump in the number of tests given since the changes were put in place. St. Clair said 426 tests were administered from Sept. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2012. During that same period in 2013, the number of tests administered rose to 631.

The testing center administers the GED exam most Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For more information or to register for the GED exam, go to www.GED.com or call 877-392-6433. For questions about the free GED preparation classes, contact adult education at 903-675-6398. To contact the testing center, call 903-675-6385.